Song of the Soul
by Omaiwamoe
Summary: Summer Rose is dead. Her life ended long before Cinder Fall became the Fall Maiden and burned Beacon Academy to the ground. But when balance is lost, and chaos runs rampant, Summer must face down life once more in a race to kill the Fall Maiden. But the only catch is- she isn't exactly herself.
1. Thus I Kindly Scatter

Chapter 1

Thus I Kindly Scatter

-RWBY-

Summer Rose was the most skilled graduate of her year- if not her entire generation. She went on to become a successful and prominent Huntress, get married, and have a beautiful daughter. Her accomplishments ranged from the mundane to what may have previously seemed impossible. She was a silver eyed warrior, something that in recent years had become little more than legend.

And yet she was about to die.

Everything she had was now forfeit. Everything she had built was about to come crumbling down. She had no comfort as her pulse slowed, and no courage as her eyes widened in pain and fear.

She screamed in agony as an unseen assailant battered her broken body against the rocks, and tears streamed from her eyes as her lifeblood did the same from her torso.

But she was able to whisper, in a soft voice once more:

"Thus I Kindly Scatter."

-RWBY-

Summer did not breath.

She didn't feel that she needed to, per say… But it was mildly disconcerting.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Summer whipped around, eyes widening as she looked for the source of the voice- but she found nothing but the blackness of the void.

"Hello?" She called, her voice echoing off of what could only be described as pure, unadulterated blackness.

"Pyrrha!"

Eyes that could widen no more trembled, and she took a step forward as she listened to the soh-so-familiar voice reverberate throughout her purgatory.

"Do you believe in Destiny?"

And there it was again. A soft, young voice asked her the same question. Perhaps she should answer…

"Y-yes." She said, eyes shifting from left to right.

"I believe in destiny." The voice said, this time coming from a discernable direction.

Behind her.

Summer whirled, frantically reaching for a weapon that was not present. Water splashed as she stumbled backwards, her eyes alighting on the red-haired figure of a teenaged girl- a huntress if her attire was anything to judge by.

"We were destined to meet, Summer Rose. Here in this moment. Our paths forever intertwined as we make our way through the cosmos." The girl held no mal-intent in her soft, sympathetic voice.

Only pity.

"We both lost our lives, Summer." She continued on, as if unaware of the pure shock and confusion that was evident on the older woman's face. "Yours to a monster unnamed, and mine to a creation of the Elder Brother."

Summer would have choked if she could breath- she couldn't be referring to the tale of the Two Brothers, could she?

The girl kept speaking. "This is an imbalance. The interference of these forces is not meant for mere mortals. And not to mention the abomination that the Fall Maiden has become. Her power is not meant for ones such as the… current host." The girl's voice should have been analytical. Instead It held the same pity as before.

"You were taken from life too early in your journey, Summer. This is why you have been selected. Your mission- if you agree- will be to eliminate the current Fall Maiden. Should you complete this task, then your previous body will be restored to you. Should you fail…"

This time the girl did not continue. She simply looked on, as if remembering something from her childhood, or perhaps attempting to solve some sort of math problem.

"If I fail?" Summer asked, eyes crinkling in nervousness.

The younger Huntress sighed. "Then you shall cease to exist, and you will never be reunited with your children."

Summer bit her lip. She was already dead. What would the point of declining be? At least this way, she would have a chance of being in her children's lives, of watching them grow up.

"I accept." She said solemnly, standing straight.

The red-haired girl did not smile, nor give her words of encouragement. "Then it is done." She said simply, green eyes shimmering, and her skin wrinkling and contorting. It shifted from a lightly tanned Mistralian to Summer's own pale, Valesian white. Her eyes, however, remained the same color as Summer watched the girl take the form of the older Huntress. Soon, she was looking at an exact replica of herself, save for the bright green eyes.

"Then you will take my form. It will serve as a protection, a boon as you traverse Remnant."

Summer could feel her skin literally crawling, and pain as her bones shifted and changed, her stature growing to match that of the other's previous height.

"This is all you are granted. Bestow your true name upon others if you wish, but it shall be your own challenge. Do not let it interfere with your true goal."

The blackness began to fade away, if that made any physical sense. Perhaps her mind was simply unable to comprehend her change of existence.

"Wait-" She called out to her fading figure, "What was your name?"

Her dopple-ganger drew in a breath, the first she had taken the entire time they had spoken. Or perhaps it was only a placebo, an involuntary response. "My name-" She said shakily. "Was Pyrrha Nikos."

And all was light.

-RWBY-

Summer did not initially recognize her whereabouts. But as she approached the edge of the precipice she stood upon, she realized she stood hundreds of feet above the courtyards of Beacon Academy. She looked around, realizing that the scorched metal and glass around her had once been Professor Ozpin's office. She had spent many a long day as a girl in these offices, being tutored and taught by the older man. Her education was of the utmost importance to him, a debt perhaps; being re-payed to her deceased parents. He raised her, trained her, and guided her through her teenage years. He helped her to move past the death of her parents, and to live in the present.

And now he was undoubtedly gone, buried somewhere in the rubble of Beacon.

She looked down at her hands, blinking at the weapons she held. A shield was strapped to her left forearm, and in her right hand she gripped a bronze Xiphos, a shortsword that from its aesthetic was undoubtedly mecha-shift. It was unfortunate then, that she had no idea how to change its mode, or activate any dust abilities it had.

She grit her teeth as she turned around, stepping towards the spot an elevator had once occupied. It was now an empty shaft- one that she would need to traverse in order to reach the ground. She leapt into the hole, grabbing on to a steel girder that ran along the height of the elevator shaft. Internally she berated herself, as she had no knowledge beforehand as to whether or not the girder was exposed to any electricity from exposed wires that might have been connected to the elevator car. That would have been an unfortunate end to her brief second chance.

She took a breath, and one hand after the other; began to scale the elevator shaft, descending towards the ground floor.

It was perhaps an hour before she reached the ground, and once firmly on the stone floor of the lobby, she began to breathe normally. Heights were not entirely her favorite thing in the world.

Summer walked out of Beacon Tower warily, uncomfortable in her trek throughout the deserted school grounds. During her youth she had only known them to be bustling- whether with students during the school year or Huntsmen and Huntresses looking for a place to stay in between missions. It had been a place that welcomed people from all walks of life, and at one point even housed soldiers during the Four Years War.

It broke her heart to see her home in such a state.

Lost in her thoughts, she was caught of guard when an older woman came running out of another abandoned building. Her grip tightened on her sword involuntarily, and she raised her shield.

"You're alive!" Came the cry of the woman, her blonde hair waving in the cold wind. As soon as she drew close enough to speak, she drew herself up regally and adjusted the glasses that set upon the bridge of her nose. "We had thought you were dead, Pyrrha. They-"

Summer blinked… She definitely recognized the woman. She was Glynda Goodwitch, a Huntress that Summer had gone to school with. It was strange to see her so old… and so formal. Summer remembered her as something of a party girl… always going out and having fun while other students might have been studying for exams, or sleeping.

"Miss Nikos?" Glynda asked, taking a tentative step back.

Summer had expected someone to recognize her new body, but nowhere near this quickly. She was completely unprepared, and she could get naught out of her mouth but a childish "Eep!"

The older woman took another step back, eyes narrowing and hand alighting on her riding crop- a strange choice of weapon no matter what age the blonde huntress was.

"Not precisely…" Summer said, scratching the back of her head. It was a habit she retained from her childhood.

Glynda's hand stilled, near enough to her weapon to threaten Summer, but far enough away to afford her a chance to explain herself.

"I'm…" She said, gathering her thoughts. "I'm different." She settled on, stowing her own weapons behind her back.

Glynda was still wary, her eyes following Summer's every movement. "You have silver eyes." She stated, not for a second moving from her defensive position.

"I do." Summer said, narrowing the aforementioned eyes. Glynda was not the type to give any thought to legend, so either she was simply referring to Pyrrha's striking green…

Or Ozpin had let her into the loop.

"Tell me…" Summer said, not looking away from Glynda's steely gaze. "What's your favorite Fairy Tale?"

-RWBY-

 **A/N**

 **In which the writer got bored, and decided to re-use the plot of an already going on story to expand his horizons.**

 **Anyways, this story was inspired in part by Aros R. Cao's Star's Never End, a Fanfic that follows Pyrrha as she stumbles around after Volume 3 in Summer Rose's body. It's really intriguing, and it deserves some love. Go check it out.**

 **In other news, this is not going to be SummerxJaune, because that's stupid. There might be some twist that are sour… or some unexpected moments that make the reader go 'wth', but overall… I hope it will be fairly straightforward.**

 **I'm not sure if it will make it through to the end… but fair warning, my fics have a tendency to fizzle out and die. Just take Sheriff Xiao-Longmire for example… *Shudders***

 **Anyways. I hope you guys enjoyed. Don't forget to leave a Review, because feedback makes the world go round… Get it? Cause it's a feedback loop?**

 **…**

 **Yeah, I'm not sorry for that.**

 **Short chapter is short… I apologize for my tendency to interrupt the flow of writing.**


	2. When I Find Myself

Chapter 2

When I Find Myself

-RWBY-

Summer watched as Glynda Goodwitch analyzed her, most likely pondering the meaning of the question asked.

She sighed, hoping that she didn't antagonize the blonde Huntress any further. It wouldn't be a good idea to get killed on her first day back.

Finally, the other woman spoke. "You definitely aren't Pyrrha Nikos." She said, surety heavy in her voice. "Although, if you have her body, then you surely have access to her memories."

Despite her words, Glynda made no further move for her weapon. Not that she needed it to stomp Summer flat into the concrete.

"Not that I know of." Summer replied. "It's a relatively new change."

The blonde huffed, tossing her hair back. "Well then who are you? It would serve the both of us well if you simply answered the question. Certainly you have a name, or is that a 'new change' as well?"

Summer harrumphed, crossing her arms across her chest indignantly. "Well, your sarcasm certainly hasn't changed. That's for sure."

Glynda narrowed her eyes, slipping her riding crop off of her belt. "You have five seconds to tell me who you are, before I send you back to whatever filthy hole you crawled out from."

Summer winced. She hadn't lost her temper either, so it seemed. "You wouldn't like it there. It's pretty dark. I think." And there went her mouth, ousting her in the middle of what very well could be the worst conversation she had ever had with Glynda.

"That's it!" Glynda shouted, whipping her crop around.

A wave of energy barreled through the stone walkway of Beacon's courtyard, ripping up concrete and shredding grass and dirt. Summer sidestepped it, letting it ripple past her. Chunks of dirt and rock rained down on her, but she ignored them. She barreled forward from her standing position, aura propelling her along in lieu of pure muscle. She slipped around another blast of energy, before making a mad dash towards her blonde opponent. Her Xiphos slid off of her back with an ease that shouldn't have accompanied the use of a new weapon, but Summer was skilled enough in the use of any weapon that she could get along just fine. She held it horizontally at her side, and drew her shield.

Glynda saw her coming miles away, sending a chunk of stone flying towards her head. Summer ducked under the hunk of concrete, sliding forward on her leather greaves as she swept the Xiphos at Glynda's shins.

The older woman countered by swiveling on her back foot, then bringing her crop down on the Red haired girl. Summer rolled out of the way, legs twisting beneath her and bringing her center of gravity up. She leaped a short foot into the air, bringing the disc shaped shield around to incapacitate the blonde huntress. Glynda brought a hand up to catch the metal disc, countering with a kick to Summer's abdomen. Summer let out a clipped yell, before retaliating with forceful kick to Glynda's knee. Glynda gasped in pain, before dropping her riding crop and socking Summer in the face. Summer stumbled back, clutching her nose.

"Oh, that's it!" Summer growled, before leaping forward once more.

Her weapons discarded, Summer slammed her curled fist into Glynda's cheekbone with the force of an Ursa, sending her head whipping back.

The battle went on for quite some time, neither party letting up as their brief fight soon became an extensive brawl. It finally ended when Glynda head-butted Summer in the face, sending the younger Huntress sprawling. Summer hit the ground, groaning in pain and irritation.

"You-" She spat out, along with a globule of blood. "You always did fight dirty."

Glynda sniffed, wiping blood from her nose. "As if! No enemy would give you the same courtesy I have."

Summer let out a choked laugh. "Courtesy? The only courtesy you've ever shown was to a man!"

Glynda growled, snatching her riding crop up from the ground and stalking towards the still grounded Huntress. "Who are you?! You've done nothing but snipe at me, and to be frank, I should kill you for stealing my student's body! Tell me who you are!"

"I didn't steal this body!" Summer shouted back, standing up shakily.

"Oh really?" Glynda let out a bitter laugh. "You're certainly one of the most insufferable people I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Are you saying that Pyrrha Nikos willingly gave up her body to a cretin like you?"

"Oh that's just like you!" She spat, jabbing an accusatory finger towards Glynda. "Always so self-rightous! You weren't exactly the spitting image of perfection, you know! Maybe I made a mistake when I made you Ruby's god-mother!"

Glynda froze. As did Summer.

The two simply stared at each-other, neither speaking as they regarded the other.

A minute passed.

Then another.

"You can't be." Glynda finally croaked out, shattering the silence. "She died. I saw her body! She died!"

Summer couldn't bring herself to speak, nor even meet Glynda's eyes. The two stood in silence once more.

Summer finally fell to the ground, sitting down in the dust with a huff. Glynda soon followed, eyes never once leaving the other girl.

"You certainly act like Summer." Glynda sighed.

-RWBY-

Summer lay in bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark.

Life had a way of throwing curveballs, and it had certainly hit her hard this time.

After her revelation to Glynda, the older woman interrogated her with renewed vigor. Before Summer could even begin to answer her questions, though, Glynda had spirited her of to her apartment in Vale. She said that Summer had been through a lot, and needed a shower and rest.

It was typical of her, really.

She seemed to have… lost her voyeuristic tendencies in her adult years, and instead become something of a strict teacher. It was almost a shame, though. She used to be so… Full of life. Brighter than the sun and definitely more temperamental.

Though, she supposed her temper hadn't changed that much.

Regardless, she had always been something of a worry-wart, and had always been particularly protective towards Summer.

Summer sighed, rolling over in her bed. She never intended to come off as bitter towards the older woman, but it always felt as if Glynda was restricting her- holding her back. Glynda had been a second year during Summer's first at Beacon, and had babied her throughout the entire time there. Her team had laughed at her, and a lot of the other first years had made fun of her for being such a baby.

Which prompted Glynda to hunt them down and force-feed them their own lunch money.

It was of the utmost embarrassment to Summer, but reflecting on it, she appreciated Glynda sticking up for her. The two had been close during their younger years, and even at Beacon. Perhaps it stemmed from her being an orphan, or an extension of Ozpin's kindness as a surrogate Father, but Glynda had taken care of Summer.

Perhaps that was what prompted bitterness on her part, something she felt for her biological mother bleeding through to impact upon her view of someone who had taken the place of a mother in her life. She wasn't entirely sure, to be perfectly honest.

Sitting up, Summer attempted to clear these thoughts from her head. She had a mission to attend to, and she was getting little done sitting in bed.

She stood up, stretching. It was high time she got some answers, and went on her way. It would be difficult to track the Maiden as it was, but if she spent too much time in one place then Fall had more opportunity to fade into obscurity. Or to cause more chaos.

Both would make her job harder.

She opened the door quietly, stepping out into the short hallway that led to the dining room. It was surprising that Glynda had been able to keep this place all these years, but it probably helped to have a father on the city council. She recalled sneaking down this very hall as a girl, passing her adopted parents' room and out into the cool night air to rendezvous with her friends and go watch some scary movie or break into the skate park to shred some rails.

Most of her friends had been… punkish to say the least, and surprisingly mostly female.

She stepped into the dining room, which was illuminated by a small lamp. At the table sat Glynda, her head resting atop some paperwork.

"Glyn?" Summer called softly, approaching the oak table where her adopted sister lay.

"Hmm?" Glynda snorted, eyes popping open momentarily.

"You still do your schoolwork at this table?" Summer said, smirking in the dimness of early morning.

Glynda yawned, giving Summer a peculiar look. "I'm unsure as to whether or not I'll ever get used to your… new appearance. It's quite unsettling."

Summer shook her head. "Tell me about it. I mean, the last thing I remember is being dead."

Glynda shuffled in her chair. "Yes, well." She gulped, making a strange face as she stretched. "Not that I'm disappointed in your return to the land of the living, but why exactly are you here? How did this even happen?"

Summer sighed, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "I'm not entirely sure. I mean…" She sat down across from her longtime friend, eyes trailing across her face. "It's all really new. She said it was for some sort of mission."

Glynda scooted closer, arms resting on the table. "She?"

Her eyes steeled, and she leaned back. Her long red hair fell against the back of the chair. "Pyrrha Nikos. She… I guess you could say she… gave her body to me?"

Glynda sat very still, eyes never leaving Summer. "That girl…"

Summer nodded. "Yeah… She said something about killing the Fall Maiden. I assume you know what she's talking about?"

The older woman's eyes widened, but she kept her face straight. "That? She said that specifically?"

She paused, before moving her chair closer to the table. "Yes. She said that Fall had become an abomination." She sucked in a breath. "I always thought Amber was a good person. She was such a sweet little girl."

Glynda shook her head, grimacing as if having tasted something vile. "Amber isn't… She's not Fall anymore, Summer."

Summer froze. "No…"

Her sister nodded. "Whatever the current Maiden did… she stole Amber's power. Her aura."

Summer's hands shook, and she sunk into her chair with a sigh. "That's… disgusting." She felt like vomiting.

Glynda sighed a weary sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose between two of her fingers. "Very. It was hard to see her like that. In either case, Salem is now in control of the Fall Maiden. If your mission is to kill Fall… Then that is my priority as well. I'm not entirely sure what happened to you… but stranger things have happened"

Summer nodded numbly. "Right… What exactly can you tell me about the new Maiden?"

Glynda took a deep breath. "Not much. Sources confirmed that her name is Cinder Fall… But not much else. She was posing as a student from Haven when she was her, and we don't exactly have any record of her. It was likely an assumed name, and how she ended up on Haven's roster is simply beyond me." She paused to collect herself. "I've not been able to speak to Leo because the CCTT is down. The investigation stops there."

Summer cursed. That effectively stonewalled any easy means of tracking the current Fall Maiden. "So I guess our next move is to cross Anima, then." She paused, glancing at Glynda for a quiet moment. Unsure of herself she decided to speak once more. "What about Dad?" She asked, eyes watching Glynda closely.

Glynda stiffened immediately. "I…" She managed to get out, before partially collapsing in her chair. "He's… He faced Cinder during the battle of Beacon." She said simply, not deigning to go into specifics.

Summer looked down, recalling the countless nights she had spent at this very table, listening to her adopted Father tell her myths and legends about the world of Remnant. Each and every good memory she had with him… She remembered yelling at him when he attempted to discourage her from being a Huntress. She remembered forbidding him to speak with her daughter.

She remembered the last time she saw him.

"I never got to-" She whispered, choking back a sob.

The older woman let out a quiet breath, nodding numbly. She stood from her chair, moving to the window and looking outside at the quiet city. "Mom passed a few years back… I didn't talk to him much after that. Even after he made me deputy Headmistress at Beacon… I avoided him when possible. I never realized that…"

She looked up, watching Glynda quietly. The woman was crying now, tears streaming from her eyes. "It's not your fault, sis." Summer whispered, standing. "It's not his either… it just."

Glynda shook her head. "I just… I wanted to be left alone. And he was broken. I think it must have been…"

Summer hugged her adopted sister, not saying anything further. The two of them stood there, taking comfort in the familial embrace.

-RWBY-

Interlude: Firelight

Pyrrha took a deep breath as she watched on.

She knew the breath to be hollow and empty, as she did not need to breath. But it felt reassuring to try, and it was a reminder of what she gave up.

She watched as the surrogate sisters hugged, and she smiled with the knowledge that her sacrifice had reunited a family.

She had given up her second chance, passing it on to another who was much more deserving. Though her death, being unnatural, was a difficult one. Since she gave up her body, she would remain in limbo until Summer finished her quest. She wanted so dearly to pass on into the eternal sleep that death was… but until then, she would watch on as Summer continued her journey.

-RWBY-

 **A/N**

 **So, Yeah. I wrote another chapter. Sue me.**

 **I probably won't keep up a steady update schedule… But I really want to continue this story. I don't exactly have plan in mind… But I'll keep myself busy, hopefully.**

 **If you didn't pay enough attention, Ozpin is Glynda's father, and Summer was adopted by Ozpin and his wife. At least in this story. I'll expand more on that later.**

 **Is it too much of a curveball? I don't know. R &R pls.**


	3. In Times Of Trouble

Summer hated Glynda.

So much.

"You would think that your new body would have a better response to flying th

The blond woman sighed even louder this time, reaching down and picking up the aforementioned bag. "Completely childish." She muttered, pulling a can of the carbonated drink out of the bag. She handed it to the other woman with an annoyed sigh.

"Thanks..." Summer groaned, downing the ginger ale thirstily.

"You're quite welcome. Your inability to ride in an airship is as endearing as ever. You're lucky I remembered in time to procure some countermeasures." Glynda sniffed haughtily, drawing away from the airsick Huntress.

Summer attempted to scoff, but ended up clutching her stomach in agony instead. Her generous red hair dropped down in front of her face. "It was easier to put up with your teasing when you were straightforward with it Glyn." She tilted her head up at her, silver eyes flashing in the dim light of the airship.

"Perhaps you simply are unable to deal with the fact," Glynda said, "That you are no longer more mature than I am."

Pffffft. Yeah right.

"Hrrrrrgh. Mmhmm." Summer said fluently.

The ship intercom crackled once more, and the pilot's voice filled the passenger cabin. "You two better buckleup. We've got incoming patrol craft. Unknown config."

Glynda and Summer shared a look, eyes widening.

The two rushed into the cockpit, Summer gripping Glynda's shoulder in an attempt to keep herself upright.

"Who would be patrolling these regions?" Glynda asked, fear leaking into her voice. "There's no naval force in the world that deploys this deep into Anima."

It was true, Summer thought. Vale's naval fleet rarely deployed at all, and that was before the city was torn asunder by Grimm. Atlas was crippled by the same attack, and Mistral was the only kingdom close enough to be viable, but their aircraft were very distinct in their design- not to mention outdated. The patrol craft displayed before them were obviously designed by private contractors- not a bulkhead or some typical design used by independent parties- but cheap and efficient fighters design for one thing only: air to air combat.

"Can you shake them?" Summer asked, running her slender fingers through her own hair.

The pilot gulped, his lips trembling. "Not in this tug. These guys will outpace us all the way to Menagerie." He tapped a few buttons, accessing the comm relay. "Attention unknown craft- this is the cargo vessel Into This Good Night. We have a sanction to move through this territory, and are under the protectorate of the Vytal Accords. Please break off to a distance of four Kilometers."

For a moment, no one spoke. The radio crackled, but no response came through. The pilot flipped on the input switch again. "Unidentified craft, please copy. We request that you pull back to a distance of four Klicks."

Summer looked at Glynda, who seemed pale in the morning light that shone through the domed cockpit. Finally, the radio crackled again, and a voice filtered through the speakers.

"This is flight lieutenant Agus Thyme. You are intruding on White Fang territory. Set down and prepare to be boarded."

Summer's heart stopped. She looked at the pilot, who was frozen in his chair.

They needed to land, or they would likely be shot down.

"Put her into a dive." Summer croaked out. "We can put some distance between us, and still land if we need to." She looked to Glynda. "We can fight our way out on the ground."

The pilot did not move.

Summer looked back to the brown haired man. "Hurry, we don't have much time!"

"Summer," Glynda whispered.

"What?!"

"I think he's unconscious."

Summer blanched, then shook the pilot violently.

Nothing.

"Crap." Summer muttered. "Change of plans. I'll fly the ship, you look for anti-air weapons. A smuggling boat like this has to have some sort of defense."

Glynda nodded, before glancing to the pilot's seat. "Won't your airsickness-"

"Not important!" Summer shrieked, waving her hands wildly. "Just find me some guns!"

She shoved the pilot out of his seat, hoisting him onto the co-pilot's chair. "I can be live this..." She muttered.

She slammed the airbrakes and angled down, instantly diving towards the ground. Momentum and gravity soon began their work, sending the Good Night careening towards the forest canopy. Activating the propulsion once more, she pulled up just before the tree line met the bow of the airship.

As they skimmed just above the tree line, gunfire began to rip into the leaves behind them, and Summer was forced to perform an aileron roll in order to reduce damage. "You find a gun yet, Glyn?"

The intercom crackled, and Glynda grumbled into it. "I found one. Rear turret, but it has limited ammunition. It won't do much damage to those raptors."

Summer grit her teeth, and before she could respond a red light started flashing, followed by a low beeping. "I hate flying."

"... What is it?"

She sighed, leveling out. "That last stunt punched a hole in our fuel tank. We're losing fuel way too quickly."

Glynda growled into the speaker, and Summer could hear the low thumps of artillery being expelled from the Good Night's turret. " You'd better think of something fast, Summer Rose, because I swear on-"

She reached forward and switched off the inter-ship radio, groaning.

And then abruptly switched it back on when a low explosion rocked the ship.

"Glyn! What's going on?"

"They had-" another explosion sounded, and Summer had to fight to level put again. "Homing rockets. We lost the magazine."

Summer cursed, before yanking the yoke back hard. They pulled up slowly, shooting into the air at a third the speed of sound. "I'm going to waste our fuel- and then we're going to jump ship. Get back up here and take care of our absent pilot-"

Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by the pilot's cabin depressurizing, and sending Summer crashing through the glass canopy.

RWBY

Summer awoke to the rythmic calls of wildlife.

A cacophony of sounds filled her ears as she sat up, caressing her aching head. The forest around her was abuzz with the calls of birds, and the soft chirping of insects. "Glyn?" She called, dragging herself to her feet.

"Here." Her sister called, groaning in pain. "Where-"

Summer looked over to the source of the voice, eyes narrowing. "Glynda?"

Glynda was lying on her back in the middle of a dirt road, eyes wide in what seemed to be fear. Summer reached for the weapon- thankfully still attached to her back- and stumbled to her feet to face whatever threatened her sister.

"Pyrrha?!" Came a voice- female in origin. Summer blinked, before her own eyes widened.

But not in fear.

In recognition.

"Y-Yang?"

RWBY

Ten Years Prior

"Yang?"

Summer Rose stood on the edge of her back porch, looking out across her yard. Her golden haired daughter raced over the lawn towards the huntress, laughing and shouting.

"Mommy, Mommy!"

Summer smiled, catching the four year old in her arms. "Hey there Flower." She hoisted Yang up to her waist. "What have you been doing today?"

"I caught a frog." Yang said by way of explanation, face turning serious. "He didn't like the inside, and Daddy didn't like him neither."

"Either, Yang." She chided.

"Daddy didn't like him either."

"No, I bet he didn't."

RWBY

Present

Summer sat across from her daughter, a raging fire in between them.

Glynda sat beside her, and no one spoke.

Until Yang broke the silence.

"So… You're not dead. Anything to say about that, Pyrrha?" She crossed her arms- one mechanical- and frowned deeply. "Ruby said she watched Cinder kill you herself. How are you here?"

A pang ran through Summer's body at the mention of her youngest daughter.

Glynda looked at Summer, biting her lip. Typical Glyn, deferring to others when important decisions needed to be made. She hadn't changed much.

"It's complicated." Summer said simply, hoping Yang would drop it, but knowing she wouldn't.

"I've got time." Yang said, sitting back against a tree. "We aren't exactly goin anywhere."

She sighed. Yang was too stubborn for her own good. "It's not that simple. I can tell you, but you won't believe me."

The teenaged girl before her laughed, slapping her good hand against her knee. "I've seen a lot of stuff that I shouldn't believe. Hit me."

Summer shared a glance with Glynda. The traitor- ahem -Teacher, just shrugged and tilted her head.

"I'm not Pyrrha." She said, leaning forward and staring into the fire. "Pyrrha's dead, there's no getting around that."

"You knew who I was, though." Typical observant Yang. "But you were right, I really don't believe you."

Summer laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "I'm really not Pyrrha. I may have her body, but I don't have her memories."

Yang tilted her head. "So you have amnesia?"

"Nothing that simple." Summer sighed, tossing a loose stone into the fire. "If it were, this wouldn't be so damned hard."

Her daughter seemed to grow irritated at this standing upright. "Can't you just give me a straight answer? You've caught a case of the Blake's or something."

She raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Yang shot her a dirty look.

"Sorry." She bit her lip, turning her words over in her mind. "I was dead too- but the person who killed Pyrrha-"

Glynda interrupted her, scoffing. "You certainly have a tendency to dance around the subject matter. Tell her, or don't. We don't have the time to deal with your insecurities."

That was her sister, all right. Summer felt childish in hindsight, but that was neither here nor there. "Right. Yang, I…" This was difficult. "I'm your Mother." She blurted out, eyes not meeting her daughter's.

Silence pervaded the clearing, and Glynda stood to leave. "I'm going to look for some more firewood. You two… work things out."

Yang looked at Glynda, watching the older woman leave.

Several minutes passed before Yang spoke. "What the hell is that even supposed to mean? My Mom's… not…" Yang blinked, leaning forward from the tree she had been leaning against. "No. Don't do that." She seethed. "Don't you dare. That isn't funny, and if you think for a second that I'll fall for something as stupid as-"

"I told you it was unbelievable." Summer answered, interrupting Yang. "I'm back to kill Cinder Fall, the person who killed your friend Pyrrha and orchestrated the fall of Beacon." She stood up as well. Silver eyes flashing in the dark. "I don't exactly have proof, but we can't afford to argue. I need to find this woman, or I'll be stuck like this."

Yang's violet eyes flashed an angry red, before the blonde closed them. She took a deep breath, and then opened them to reveal her violet orbs once more. "Fine. Whatever. Lucky for you, I know who else is looking for her."

Summer blinked.

She had a feeling she wouldn't like this.

 **A/N**

 **So yeah, new chapter. Short short short.**

I hope you enjoyed, and I'm too tired atm to say anything but Read and Review.


	4. Mother Mary

Mother Mary

Summer opened her eyes.

She lay completely still inside her bedroll- listening for the sounds that accompanied the rising sun. Crickets, squirrels or birds… animal life was usually active by the time the sun rose.

She heard none of these things.

Tilting her head to get a better view of the campsite, Summer caught a glimpse of Yang's blonde hair splayed out in her sleeping bag. The girl seemed to be a bit more particular about her hair than she had when she was a child… at the very least Summer wouldn't have to brush knots or mud out of her hair.

She moved her head to the other side of the camp, where Glynda lay. The older Huntress showed little sign of waking- the same as Yang- and it seemed neither of the blondes had spent as much time in the wilderness as Summer had. She had been one of Ozpin's more… utilized operatives for quite a few years.

She sat up slowly, hands drifting to the sword and shield that lay close by.

"You should never have come here."

Summer stiffened, standing abruptly. She whirled to face the source of the smooth, emotionless voice.

"Raven." She spat, eyes narrowing.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll turn back." The taller woman began to walk, circling around the campfire. Summer simply watched as she did so, hands tightening around her sword and shield. "I'd hate for you to remain."

"And why's that?" Summer asked, taking a step to her right, mirroring Raven's own movements. "Are you going to kill me? Something tells me they won't like that."

She shook her head, the early morning sunlight glinting off of her white Grimm mask. "This is Branwen territory. We don't like visitors."

The shorter woman shifted her grip on her sword. "Maybe we're just passing through. We could use some help getting to our destination." Summer bit her lip. "You won't kill us."

Raven's white and red mask seemed to glare angrily- Summer ignored it. Raven hadn't been able to scare her since their first year at Beacon, she had long since grown used to the Branwen twins' mannerisms. "You're in my way." She said simply. "I'll do what is necessary to survive."

"Right." Summer replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm in your way."

The older woman laughed, though much of the humor seemed hidden behind bitterness. "You're much more aloof than I expected Pyrrha Nikos to be. You truly haven't changed, Summer." She shook her head, long hair swaying softly behind her.

Summer knew it was likely enough that Raven would be able to sense her through her Semblance- but she had hoped the dark haired woman had simply not noticed. It would cause Summer problems in the long run, especially if Raven sold her out. It was likely she would, too. There wasn't much Raven wouldn't do to ensure her own survival.

"So you've been hiding out here in the boonies, huh?" She shook her head. "Figures you wouldn't have come back to fight the good fight after I died."

Raven's hand slid down the length of her sword's hilt, tightening around the leather wrapping. "You really should have stayed dead. Has Glynda been filling your head with lies, telling you that we finally have a chance? Look around you. Beacon has fallen, and the Fall Maiden has become one of Salem's pawns."

She scoffed, kicking a rock. "Lies? Glynda's pretty much incapable of those." Her silver eyes flashed in indignation. "You're the one that specializes in lies. Didn't you tell Tai that you loved him?"

That comment pretty much received the expected reaction- Raven leapt across the campfire, nodachi leaping from its sheath to cut away at Summer. She simply raised her shield and leaned away from the hasty attack, letting the longsword slide past the metal discus and hit the ground with a quiet *thump.*

"Angry much, Raven?" She stepped back as Raven reset and lunged once more towards her- missing narrowly with a furious horizontal swipe. Summer stepped into Raven's guard as the longsword went careening to her left, and raised her Xiphos to stab at Raven's abdomen. "You should calm down before someone gets hurt."

Raven disengaged, mask coming loose to reveal a short, stocky face. Red eyes glared back at Summer's silver. "You're the one who is going to end up hurt, Summer." She huffed. "I simply came here to offer warning- you will receive no welcome within the Branwen tribe. Your Silver Eyes will simply bring unwanted attention."

Summer growled, twirling the shortsword in her hand. "Anything else?"

"Yes." Raven said, smirking. "Take this one with you. She's much more trouble than she's worth."

Raven drew her nodachi again, this time slicing into the air. Bright red light poured from a tear in the fabric of the world- Raven's semblance. She had the ability to essentially teleport to any being she shared a bond with.

This appeared to include the dark haired woman who stepped through, wearing cutoff shorts and holding a white haired girl on her arm. The noise- apparently being louder than her conversation and short battle with Raven- was enough to bring Yang and Glynda stumbling out of their sleeping bags, eyes bleary, yet stances ready for battle.

The white haired girl was thrown forward, letting out a short "Oof!" as she slid into the dirt.

"Weiss!" Yang cried, rushing over to the girl, helping her to her feet.

"I'm fine." The girl, Weiss apparently, ground out.

"What the hell, Mom!" Yang said, ignoring Weiss' comment. "You're seriously kidnapping my friends now?""I didn't do anything!" Summer shot back, before realizing Yang was speaking to Raven.

Raven simply laughed at the exchange, replacing the Grimm mask over her face. "Cute. It seems our encounters are fated to end in much the same fashion." She turned on her heel, her long hair flowing behind her as she stepped up to the blood red tear that hung in the air. "And one more thing," She called behind her.

She tilted her head back towards them. "Salem will be coming for you, Summer. You should make sure anyone you hold dear isn't nearby when she does."

And then Raven left once again.

Summer felt Yang's eyes on her, but she didn't turn to meet them. Instead, she turned to Glynda.

"Raven won't keep quiet about our location. We need to move, and now."

There was only silence for a moment. None of them were willing to break it.

The white haired girl finally spoke up. "What is even going on? How are you even Alive?" She shook her head angrily, throwing her still bound hands up into the air. "And how did you know that- that Psychopath!?"

Yang cleared her throat. "Actually, that was my- uh- mom."

Weiss whirled around to face her. "That- that was your mother?!" She whirled back to Summer. "Pyrrha, what is going on?"

Summer cringed. She harbored no negative feelings towards the girl who had given Summer a second chance, but she was quickly beginning to dislike hearing that name. "There really isn't time for this," She deflected. "We can talk about it when we stop, but we need to cover as much distance as possible. I don't want to meet any of Salem's goons if Raven gives up our location."

Glynda stepped towards the campfire, kicking dirt atop the smoldering coals. "There isn't enough room for the four of us on Ms. Xiao-long's motorcycle. And I doubt any of us want to walk it all the way to Mistral."

Summer bit her lip. She turned to Yang and Weiss. "You two can cover more distance on that bike. Get to Mistral, and find Professor Lionheart at Haven Academy. We'll meet up with you there."

"What? No!" Yang said, scoffing. "There's no way I'm letting you two walk all the way to Mistral by yourselves! If there are people after you, we can fight them together!"

The red-head shook her head. "No, Yang. If they do come after me, then they'll be leagues stronger than you. You'd just get hurt." She took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes. If these were the same people that killed her, and that killed the last Fall Maiden, then Yang would simply get in the way.

"No!" The blonde girl shouted. Her eyes turned a dangerous red, and her hair glowed. "There's no way! I don't know what's going on, but I just got you back! I'm not losing you again!"

Summer clenched her fists tighter, and opened her eyes. "This isn't up for debate, Yang. Glynda and I can handle ourselves. Can you honestly say your friend here will be able to walk to Mistral- after all she's been through."

"Don't bring me into this." The girl stated, eyeing Summer warily.

"So you're just gonna leave?" Yang spat. "Just like that?"

Her breath hitched, and she watched as Yang's eyes shifted back into a tearful Violet. Summer felt her heart break, and thoughts of Yang and Ruby as children filled her mind. "No." She whispered. "I'm not leaving you, not again. Not like her." She swallowed heavily, and a tear made the journey from her left eye to the tip of her chin.

Yang closed her eyes, standing stock still.

"Yang-"

"It really is you," She interrupted, opening her eyes again. "Isn't it? She knew it was you, so she must have sensed you through her semblance."

Summer nodded slowly. "You know how it works, then?"

Yang nodded. "I was going to use it to get to Qrow. Ruby said they were together."

Summer sighed. "If they were looking for the people who attacked Beacon, they'll head to Haven. You meet up with them, and we'll follow." She stepped forward, setting a hand on Yang's shoulder. "I promise, Fireflower."

The girl's breath caught, before she hugged Summer abruptly. "I love you, Mom."

"What is going ON?!" The white haired girl shouted, ruining the moment. "Pyrrha's your mom now? Who isn't?"

Yang laughed, breaking away from Summer. "This isn't Pyrrha, Weiss-cream. I'll tell you on the way."

Summer grinned cheekily, shaking her head. "Hopefully you'll find safe Haven in Mistral. Be careful."

Glynda and Weiss both groaned at that. "You're obviously Yang's Mother…" Weiss muttered, Following Yang to where her motorcycle sat. "There'd better be a good explanation for this Yang, my head is starting to hurt."

As Yang wheeled the bike around, and Weiss clambered atop the back, the blonde turned to face her mother. "Be careful, Summer." She said softly. And then they were gone.

"Are you sure it was wise to send them alone? The culprits could already have arrived at Haven."

Summer sighed, turning back to Glynda.

"They'll be okay. Yang's a tough girl."

Glynda shook her head in amusement. "You've been gone for a while. I half expected you to baby her. She was just a child the last time you saw her, after all."

She shook her head. "She made it all the way her, didn't she? That's not an easy feat. I mean, we got ambushed by the White Fang and sucked out of an airship."

The older Huntress shot her a dirty look. "And who's fault is that?"

"Hey, I have airsickness. I get a free pass."

"Funny how airsickness didn't prevent you from performing a death-defying dive and roll."

"Shut up."

"Why should I?" Glynda grinned, placing a hand on her hip.

Summer sighed. "You haven't changed."

RWBY

It was several hours before Summer and Glynda stumbled across other sentient life.

They heard them before they saw them, shouting and banging around. Summer crouched down, slowly stepping towards the bustle. Glynda followed behind, and Summer could hear her muttering about crouching in a skirt. Summer smirked, but continued forward without a word. She peeked over the bushes that were currently providing her with cover, and was surprised by what she saw.

Several Faunus in grey hoodies were mulling around, loading crates- of what was presumably dust- onto a cargo ship. The ship itself was somewhat ugly- no more than a single deck, and it was about twice as wide as it was long. It seemed practical and well put together though, it had two side guns and an Anti Aircraft gun atop its triangular body. Summer recognized the make: it was an old Valean model, one that had been new when she was just a little girl. And it was in surprisingly good condition.

"What a beauty." She whispered to Glynda.

"Does this mean we're flying the rest of the way?" The blonde professor asked hopefully, adjusting her pencil-skirt.

"What?" Summer asked incredulously, turning to her adopted sister. "No! We literally just talked about this."

"Oh, so you want to walk the rest of the way to Mistral?" Glynda asked, quite rhetorically. "This isn't an opportunity we can afford to dismiss- and you'd rather be in the pilot's seat than sitting in the back anyways."

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean I want to be on an airship at all! We're making good time." She argued back, brushing her hair out of her face.

"We've been walking for five hours. And we've gone maybe four miles."

"We're making good time for you, then. Seriously, you should lose some weight."

"Me?! Look at yourself, you little-"

"Oh, come on this isn't exactly my body! And she's about a hundred times more fit than you, Miss desk-job!"

"Would you stop being so insufferable! We're-"

"A-hem."

Glynda and Summer froze, turning back to look over the bush.

"We can hear you." The White Fang grunt before them said, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Oh. Right." Summer flushed- her cheeks matching her hair. "You don't think we could convince you to knock yourselves out, do you?"

Her response was given in the form of swords being ripped from their sheaths.

"Didn't think so."

Summer burst out of the bushes, performing a spinning leap that put her just a few feet from the closet white fang grunt. She landed perfectly, sweeping her Xiphos across the calves of three Faunus that were clustered quite closely together. The attack sent their legs up in the air, and their heads facing the ground. She rolled beneath them, bringing her shield up. Her intuition held up, and several dust rounds pinged off of her shield. She pushed herself up on one knee, shield held out before her. She then felt another round deflected by the disc shaped piece of metal. To the left.

Charging forward, she kept her shield extended before her. She bashed into the grunt with the rifle, sending him flying into the air. She heard a short cry, a crack, and then silence. Summer cringed.

That guy didn't have aura.

She spun around, searching the area. There were the three grunts lying on the ground in pain, the gunman behind her, and the four sword wielding Faunus attempting to pin Glynda down. That left the seven other White Fang members that had taken up real-estate behind dust canisters, and were currently firing upon Glynda.

Summer smirked.

She quickly sprinted toward the crates, knocking one woman aside with her shield. The next was ready for her, having dropped his rifle and drawn a katana from behind his back. She side-stepped his first swing, holding her shield between the sword and herself. She brought her own sword around to bury itself in the Grunt's shoulder. He cried out in pain, and Summer kicked him in the chest, ripping the sword out of his now useless arm. Two more grunts ran at her, and she repeated her earlier spin, launching her self into the air.

She was horizontal, one booted foot lashing out to kick one man in the face, and her shield to hit the other in the chest. She landed, before sending her sword out to the side to catch the katana of the woman who had been knocked aside earlier. She rotated her wrist quickly, sending the red blade careening into the dirt. She lashed out with her sword once more, burying it into the sword hand of the Faunus woman. She ripped the Xiphos out and sent it towards the first of the other three Faunus grunts.

He caught it on an axe, sending it back towards Summer. She disengaged, and reset. This one had Huntsman training. The other two stood behind him, holding their swords awkwardly.

She sighed.

"Do you truly think you can stop us, Human?" He growled, twirling his axe. "We are more than just a military force. We are a movement. A people."

He stepped forward, bringing his axe around in a two handed swing. Summer leapt back, bringing her shield up, and her Xiphos close to her chest. Another attack sent her stumbling backwards, and she drew her sword back to lash out at the burly bear Faunus. She was caught instead, with a katana sliding across her ribcage.

She cursed in pain, throwing her shield arm back to snap the katana in half, before cleaving her sword through the man's head. The bear-eared man roared in anger, launching an overhead strike at Summer. She twisted around, barely avoiding the double-headed axe. She jabbed the man in the stomach, before twisting back around. She spun the Xiphos in her hands, catching it in a reverse grip and stabbing backwards, catching the bear Faunus in the face. His Aura deflected it, but shimmered weakly in its desperate resistance. The bear of a man screamed his rage at her, abandoning his axe in favor of barreling into Summer. She was flung away, and slid across the dirt towards the cargo ship.

Glynda however came to her aid, bringing her riding crop down on the three terrorists. The kinetic force flung them all away, breaking the bear Faunus' obviously small aura.

She hurried over to Summer, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her onto the cargo ship. She tossed the pilot- who had attempted to ambush them at the gangplank- into the bear Faunus, and shut the door. She stalked into the cockpit, activating the engines and preparing for lift-off.

"What exactly was that, Summer?" She asked, jabbing the other woman in her slowly healing side.

She cringed, swatting Glynda's hand away. "It's nothing, Glyn. I'm fine."

The older woman scoffed. "You didn't look fine. You got tunnel vision."

Summer stood by uselessly as Glynda sat in the Pilot's seat and lifted the cargo ship off the ground, retracting the landing gear. "Don't worry about it, Glyn. I'm handling it."

"Handling it?!" Glynda shouted, glaring at her. "Summer, you didn't even ask me about Yang and Ruby. Your own children! At first I thought you were simply attempting to focus on the mission, but you were simply incapable of keeping yourself on topic!"

Summer stood stock still, her stomach rumbling with nausea- both from airsickness and from Glynda's accusations. "I-" She choked out, tears springing to her eyes. Her children. Her babies.

Glynda turned back to her, her eyes softening. "Summer-"

"No-" Summer shook her head. "You're right- I-" She let out a choked sob, collapsing into the co-pilot's seat. "I should have been better. I have to be better- I"

"No." Glynda interrupted, placing a hand on Summer's shoulder. "You don't need to be better, Sum. You just need to let me help you." She leveled another glare on her sister. "But we're definitely going to talk about this. If your Semblance is hindering your ability to retain coherent logic, we'll have to put some training in."

Summer sniffled. "Who's going to help me with this? Dad's gone, and he was the only person who actually understood how my semblance worked."

Glynda sighed, turning her eyes back to the viewport. "Summer, it's not going to be easy. At all." She paused. "But I've been teaching children to control their abilities for ten years. Don't you think you can put a bit of faith in me?"

Summer looked back up to Glynda. "I-" She paused, and then nodded shakily. "Yeah."

She could do that.

 **A/N** **So, another short chapter- but pretty eventful.** **Summer met up with Yang at the end of the last one- and she left during this one. Pretty brief reunion, right? Oh well, that's how these things work out. I think I'm finally feeling out the pacing of this story, as I'm able to pull away from canon. I'll be implementing some other mechanics and locations that are of my own invention- and I hope you guys will enjoy them. The piloting thing is definitely going to be a recurring theme. I hope you like it.** **I also hope you enjoyed the fight scene- it was super fun to write, but exhausting. I had to choreograph the scene in my head, then go out back and do some simulations of the swordplay to make sure the description translated well to action. It came out interestingly well. I obviously wasn't able to do the horizontal pirouette that Summer and Pyrrha could pull off effortlessly.** **Or the tele-kinetic blast that Glynda blasted Bear-Dude with.** **I wish I could do any of those things.** **Anyways, Summer's semblance. If it wasn't obvious in the chapter, her Semblance is colloquially referred to as Tunnel Vision.** **It's essentially super-focal-observant-sherlock-battle-genius stuff. She can observe and predict the movements in battle, dancing, music, math patterns, piloting, stuff like that. It's also the reason she has motion sickness. I tried to make it affect the perspective of the story as well, by only describing what Summer sees. I hope that helps with the immersion.** **It has other downsides, too, as is obvious by the semblance's moniker. Tunnel Vision.** **It's kind of my own explanation of Ruby's hyperactive personality, and expressing my own experiences with ADHD. Sometimes it even affects my own reasoning processes. I'll get so focused on being right- that I won't even stop to double check my own facts. And a lot of times my brain works a lot faster than my mouth.** **I have quite the large IQ, (Not trying to brag, and not going to give a number) but because of my ADHD a lot of people write me off as stupid. It's pretty irritating to deal with.** **As a practitioner of fencing and kendo, I can also attest to the difficulty of getting tunnel vision in the middle of a fight.** **I have the bruises to prove it.** **Short chapter is short, long A/N is (Xiao)long.**


	5. Come To Me

Come To Me

Summer sat in the co-pilot's chair, watching as Glynda maneuvered the ship between two menacing storm clouds. The two had been flying for the past hour, having to adjust their course to avoid a rather foreboding storm. Not only had it put another four hours between them and Mistral, it seemed that they were fated to be caught in it regardless. Glynda was attempting to find a place to set down before it was upon them, but there weren't many options between the Mountains and the Forest that seemed to stretch on forever. Glynda finally found a clearing- and set the ship down.

Summer sat still, listening to the pitter patter of the rain as it pelted against the outside of the ship. Thunder boomed in the distance, and Summer closed her eyes. She focused on the rain- listening to every single sound. The Thunder, the waving trees, the howling of the wind- all of it contributed to a single song. One that Summer was familiar with. It required no pattern, but that was the best kind of song. It was one that made little sense, but you didn't have to try and predict the rhythm, or even try to follow it. It was long, it was chaotic, and it was beautiful.

"Are you ready to talk about it?"

Summer shook her head.

"We still need to talk. You can't just sit there and pretend I don't exist."

"I'm not." She said softly. "I'm knocking on the sky-"

"And listening to the sound." Glynda finished for her, the older Huntresses' own voice softening.

The saying was one from an age long past- a saying that their Father had coined. He taught them both how to listen to the rain- to meditate. The goal wasn't to focus on nothingness- that invited stagnation and discouraged thinking. Ozpin's meditation was about reflection. Using the sounds and environments around you to create a mirror. Your mirror could be music, poetry, a book, art- the list went on and on.

But Ozpin's favorite- and both of his children's favorite- was to knock on the sky, and listen to the sound.

Summer and Glynda were both still for a moment longer, Ozpin's lessons reverberating in their minds.

"So. If you don't want to talk about your semblance, let's talk about your children." Glynda was straightforward, as always.

"Alright." Summer said, looking down at the steel floor.

"That's all you have to say?" She asked, anger seeping into her voice. "It's been ten years, Summer. They've missed you for ten years."

Summer scratched the back of her head. "It hasn't been that long for me."

She looked back up at Glynda, who glared at her and motioned for her to elaborate.

"The last thing I remember is dying. It might have been ten years for you- but I just saw Ruby and Yang a month ago. Ruby couldn't even tie her own shoes- and Yang couldn't even brush her hair properly!" She stood, Silver eyes gleaming in the low light. "I've missed ten years! So yeah, It's been a while!" Tears sprung from her eyes, and she sat back down. She felt exhausted.

"You got Tunnel Vision."

Summer looked back up at Glynda, silently willing her to shut up.

"You were so focused- on the idea of having a second chance- that you weren't able to examine the facts." Glynda leaned forward, resting a hand on Summer's shoulder. "Da- Ozpin always said you had difficulty looking at the bigger picture, but I'm not so sure that's the problem. You've always seen the bigger picture- and you've also always picked up on the tiniest of details. Like when you noticed I was wearing different makeup from when I left to go to Miyene's house, but I was actually going to a party in downtown Vale."

Summer giggled softly, before sniffling and wiping her eyes on the back of her arm.

Glynda smiled affectionately. "But you miss the mundane things. You don't focus on the things that you believe to be monotonous."

She swallowed heavily, nodding in hesitant agreement.

"You're my sister, Summer. And while perhaps it has been a while since either of us admitted that, I do love you. And I want you to know I will be here to help you." She grasped Summer's shoulders, drawing her into a ginger hug. "I'll always be your Big Sis'."

Summer giggled softly again. "I love you too, Glyn."

She paused.

"But you're still not getting my 'Dust-Light'."

"… I hate you, Summer."

RWBY

Pyrrha looked out at the Star-scape before her. Many paths looped and intersected around her, the dark, pitch black paths with white borders contrasting against the myriads of sparkling specks around her. She sighed, looking through the portal and into the scene that played out before her.

"This could have been You, Miss Nikos."

"Perhaps." She answered truthfully. "But I gave my second chance to someone who needed it more. More people depended on Summer than on me."

"And what of your Partner? The man you love? Is he not worth returning to?"

The scene before her changed, to that of a blonde man- one who was admittedly much more muscular than he had been during his time at Beacon- sitting on his bed, looking at his sword and shield. The two objects lay against the wall, bronze and steel shining against the dim afternoon light. Thunder boomed outside, and the man- Jaune- looked away from the weapons: seemingly gazing at Pyrrha.

It was simply a ploy to distract her.

"Blake will take care of him." She whispered. "They may not have much of a past- but from what you've shown me, they will certainly have a future."

"One without you."

"Every future- at some point or another- will undoubtedly exclude me."

"Then you've given up."

"No." Pyrrha answered, and it was the truth. "I may fall. But I will never give up."

RWBY

"Whatcha lookin' at, Blake?"

"Nothing Sun." The raven haired Faunus had been staring out the window for sometime now, looking out at the raging storm that was approaching the island. "I just felt like I was being watched."

"More spies?" He asked, nervousness evident on his face.

Blake shook her head, laughing. "No… It just felt like, when I looked out at the clouds, someone I knew was looking back."

"You're weird, Blake."

"Does this mean you'll finally leave me alone, now that you've realized I'm only 'friend material'?"

"Nah. You're still pretty cool."

RWBY

"Did you have something you wanted to tell me, Yang?"

The blonde paused. "Yeah…"

Ruby tilted her head, kinda like Zwei did when he heard a word he didn't recognize.

"I wanted to tell you… that I missed you, baby sister!" She lunged forward, wrapping Ruby in a tight hug, and lifting her up off the ground.

"Oof! Y-yang! Let me- let me Down! Yaaaaaang!"

She would let Summer explain everything to Ruby.

After all, she did promise.

She was coming back.

She was coming home.

 **A/N** **A short chapter… and so soon after the last one? Mae, are you doing drugs?** **No… Just Dr. Pepper and Arizona Sweet Tea. The Dr. Pepper I drink because I'm from Texas, and I live in Texas. The Arizona Sweet Tea I drink because I'd rather not take the time to boil water to make a cup of Tea.** **This was supposed to be short and sweet, and hopefully was a welcome change of pace.** **If anyone gets the "Dust-Light" joke, I'll be surprised. Most of the FNDM is under 21.** **As is evident- because of her ADHD semblance, Summer isn't as capable of sharing her emotions properly- or properly expressing herself. At least this far in the story. I'd also like to point out that Raven- in the last chapter- knows about Summer's semblance, and how it works. Summer tries to goad her into a fight (Yeah, because of ADHD. We tend to cause a lot of drama.) but Raven understands what she's trying to do, and changes her conversational tactics to keep Summer from actually focusing on why Raven was there. Ooo-oooooh. Spoo-ooooooky.** **(You probably won't hear this from a psychiatrist or psychologist, but they are things that people with ADHD have to deal with.** **If you aren't aware ADHD is on a spectrum, Kind of like autism.** **It goes: ADD, ADHD, Bi-polar disorder, and Schizophrenia/ Paranoid Schizophrenia.** **None of which will doctors diagnose people with anymore.** **Which is stupid, because I have family who suffer from Bi-polar, and another from Schizophrenia- and they aren't getting proper treatment. The meds they use today are pure garbage.** **And they're almost insane. I can't be around them, because they're so toxic. (It's almost like interacting with a psychopath- except the psychopath is self-aware, and will be a thousand times more careful while they're making you miserable.)** **And yes. KnightShade. Do you really have to ask? It's the best.** **I've been here since the beginning, and I've seen all the ships. (Even the bad ones. *Ahem* WhiteRose *Ahem* Bumblebee)** **Knightshade is still my favorite, and there just isn't enough of it. Go check out cdghuntermco's Shadows and Light. Definitely one of my favorite stories.** **Anyways, I'd like to thank all my reviewers and readers, you guys are great.** **RWBY has the best FNDM, (Even with the whiterose and bumblebee shippers) and I love your guys' interactions and stories. This chapter we're going to have a challenge! You present your favorite male character from any fandom except RWBY. (No OC's, though I would hope that's obvious.) The winner will be selected for having a valid argument for why their character is the best. Also leave an actual comment on the chapter or story to prevent spam- otherwise you will be disqualified. The winner gets their character written into a one-shot, and if we get fifteen reviews this chapter, I'll write an Omake for the next one. (Which is already going to be a whopper, I can tell you that.)** **I hope you guys enjoyed!** **-Omae Wamoe** **Shinderu.**


End file.
